Inflammatory skin diseases are a group of diseases that results in inflammation of the skin. These diseases are characterized by itchiness, red skin, and a rash. Psoriasis, also known as psoriasis vulgaris, is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease characterized by red, scaly patches, papules, and plaques, which usually itch. The skin lesions seen in psoriasis may vary in severity from minor localized patches to complete body coverage. The disease affects 2-4% of the general population.
The causes of psoriasis are not fully understood. It is not purely a skin disorder and can have a negative impact on many organ systems. Psoriasis is also associated with an increased risk of certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, and other immune-mediated disorders such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
Psoriasis is generally considered a genetic disease, though it is triggered and influenced by environmental factors. Psoriasis characterized by accelerated growth of epidermis cells (keratinocyte cells) accompanied by an inflammation.
Conditions reported as accompanying a worsening of the disease include chronic infections, stress, changes in season and climate, scratching psoriasis skin lesions, skin dryness, excessive alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, and obesity. People with advanced HIV/AIDS often exhibit psoriasis. Oxidative stress, stress, and withdrawal of a systemic corticosteroid have each been suggested as a trigger for psoriasis. Other drugs that may induce the disease include beta blockers, lithium, antimalarial medications, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, terbinafine, calcium channel blockers, captopril, glyburide, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, interleukins, interferons, lipid-lowering drugs, and TNF inhibitors such as infliximab or adalimumab.
No cure is available for psoriasis, but various topical and systemic treatments can help control the symptoms. Topical agents are typically used for mild disease, phototherapy for moderate disease, and systemic agents for severe disease.
For topical treatment corticosteroid preparations are the most effective but also Vitamin D analogues such as paricalcitol were shown to be effective.
Psoriasis resistant to topical treatment and phototherapy may be treated with systemic therapies including oral medications or injectable treatments. Non-biologic systemic treatments frequently used for psoriasis include methotrexate, ciclosporin, hydroxycarbamide, fumarates such as dimethyl fumarate, and retinoids. Biologic systemic treatment includes drugs that target T cells are such as efalizumab and alefacept.
The use of cannabis in traditional medicine is dated back centuries ago as remedy for numerous pathologies. Among its medicinal properties, several extracts obtained from the herbs are known to possess anti-inflammatory capacity. However, only in recent years the therapeutic potential of cannabis, its chemical composition and mechanism of action are discovered. In addition, controlled studies are now being performed to standardize its use and transform the field by presenting evidence-based experiments.
Cannabinoids are a group of 21-carbon-containing terpenophenolic compounds produced by Cannabis species. Cannabinoids may also be synthetically produced. Cannabinoids have shown to inhibit keratinocyte proliferation which is induced in psoriasis. They also have shown anti-inflammatory properties that may be beneficial for treatment of psoriasis.
Several patent documents recite compositions for treating psoriasis which comprise cannabis either systematically or topically. For example, patent application CN101099817 recites a composition comprising cannabis as well as radix rehmanniae, radix salviae miltiorrhizae, figwort, dyers woad leaf, asiatic moonseed, cortex dictamni, rhizoma bistortae, forsythia, china root, saffron, long-noded pit viper and honeysuckle for treating psoriasis. Patent document CN102225143 recites the use of cannabis in a composition for topical use which comprises in addition to cannabis also sesame, black soya bean, peach kernel, apricot kernel, platycladi seed, bunge cherry seed, angelica sinensis, the root of bidentate achyranthes, cacumen biotae twig, sesame oil, frankincense, myrrh radix angelicae pubescentis, notopterygium root, golden cypress, coptis chinensis, cacumen biotae, radix sophorae flavescentis, schizonepeta, saposhnikovia divaricata, philippine violet herb, caulis polygoni multiflori, caulis spatholobi, platycodon grandiflorum, cortex dictamni, rhizoma cyperi and peony bark. However, none of the disclosed patent documents recite the use of specific extracted cannabinoids. In addition, they all recited a composition comprising over 10 ingredients.
In view of the above, It is still a long felt and unmet need for a naturally originated composition with minimal adverse effects that is specifically useful for treatment of inflammatory skin disorders such as psoriasis.